Twelve reasons to visit Japan

I have major wanderlust at the moment, specifically Japan-lust. Here are twelve reasons why…

1. The way that Tokyo is so hectic, yet so organised, friendly and polite that you feel peaceful in the middle of the chaos.

2. A country with a love of all things kawaii, from panda coffee to smiley face cookies.

3. The stunning Kyoto mountains, studded with hidden temples

4. Cat cafes. Need I say more?

[vimeo clip_id=”28635424″ width=”640″ height=”400″]

5. Taking the bullet train cross country from Tokyo to Kyoto, catching a glimpse of Fujiyama on the way

6. THE FOOD. From high-end world cuisine to handmade tofu and shojin ryori feasts, Japan does mouthwatering eats like nowhere else. I was worried about being a vegetarian in the land of sushi, but the sheer range and quality available in Japan would satisfy anyone’s tastes.

7. The beautiful deer of Nara. Japan’s old capital city is now home to around 1,200 deer and some of the most beautiful temples and scenery in the country.

8. Catching a glimpse of some maiko running errands, and remembering how Japan is the perfect combination of ancient and new.

9. The changing seasons, from sakura blossom time in May to the colours of autumn in Kyoto’s forests. Even the rain is pretty!

10. Discovering fun and cosy nightlife spots in the markets and backstreets

11. A love of retro videogames from the culture that gave us Nintendo and Sega

12. Blue Hour, the magical twilight that bathes Tokyo every evening as the lanterns come on, people leave work and the street food stalls open up.

This post is a competition entry to win a blogger trip to Japan – keep your fingers crossed for me!

Related Posts

Comments (9)

I’ve always wanted to go to Japan, there’s just something magical about it. Reading your 12 things makes me want to go even more! What sucks is that my boyfriend is going next month while I’m stuck at work =(

I so want to go to Japan! We were all booked and due to visit on our way back to London after visiting my homeland of New Zealand. Unfortunately 5 days before we were due to fly in there was the Tsunami. We had an earthquake in NZ and narrowly missed the Tsunami. Sad times. I hope to get there sometime soon. P.S. Hope you win!